1. A description of the project and a statement about its significance.
2. A detailed total budget, specifying the amount of funding requested from MLA (to a maximum of $1,000) and its purpose (capital purchases are not eligible). Indicate any other sources of funding you may have already secured.
3. Two letters of recommendation-- one for the project and one for yourself.
4. A curriculum vitae that also names additional references.

If you have any questions about the award, particularly about whether you are qualified to apply for it, please contact the Chair.

• The Vincent H. Duckles Award for the best book-length bibliography or other research tool in music.
• The Richard S. Hill Award for the best article on music librarianship or article of a music-bibliographic nature.
• The Eva Judd O'Meara Award for the best review in Notes.

Publications nominated for awards to be announced in 2011 must have been published during the 2009 calendar year. Nominations may be directed to any member of the Committee: Andrew Justice (andrew.justice@unt.edu ), Kristen Castellana (krismcc@umich.edu ), or Kirstin Dougan (dougan@illinois.edu ).

Deadline for nominations is July 15, 2010.

A grant may be awarded to support research in archives or libraries (both nationally and internationally) on any aspect of American music. There are no restrictions as to applicant's age, nationality, profession, or institutional affiliation. All proposals will be reviewed entirely based on merit. Awards may be presented to an individual applicant or divided among multiple applicants. At its discretion, the committee may choose not to award a grant during any particular year. An applicant who has not received an Epstein Award for the first year of application may resubmit a proposal in the two following years for any one project. An applicant may receive only one award for any one project.

Applicants must submit the following documents:

1. A brief research proposal (under 10 pages) that includes:
   1. a description of the project
   2. a detailed budget for the project, indicating:
      1. the amount of funding requested (capital purchases such as computer equipment and furniture are ineligible)
      2. justification for the funding
      3. additional sources of funding
   3. a demonstration of how the applicant's research will contribute to the study and understanding of American music
      
2. A curriculum vitae of the applicant.
3. Three letters of support from librarians and/or scholars knowledgeable about American music.

Applications should be submitted by e-mail attachment and must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

Please send required documentation to D.J. Hoek, chair of the Dena Epstein Award Committee, at djhoek@northwestern.edu.

The deadline for receipt of proposals and letters of support is July 1, 2010.

Applicants must be members of the Music Library Association and in one of the following
groups:

• in the first three years of their professional career,
• a graduate student in library school (by the time of the conference, 9-12 February 2011) aspiring to become a music librarian, OR
• a recent graduate (within one year of degree) of a graduate program in librarianship seeking a professional position as a music librarian

Previous applicants who still qualify are welcome to reapply.

Applicants must submit the following in .pdf by October 1, 2010:

• A letter of application which includes:
  • The reasons for attending the MLA Annual Conference and why you are a
    good candidate for this grant
  • A justification of financial need
  • A budget for travel costs to attend the MLA Annual Conference
    
  • Information about any other grants, matching funds, institutional support
    you may also receive to cover costs to attend the MLA Annual Conference
  • The number of times you have attended the national MLA meeting.
  • A current vita
    
• Two letters of support directly mailed by recommenders (.pdf or email)

Please email application and supporting materials (.pdf) to the Chair of the Freeman Travel
Grant Committee:

Michael Colby <mdcolby@ucdavis.edu >
Please mark the subject line: Freeman Travel Grant Application.

Grant recipients will be notified by November 1, 2010 and announced at the MLA 2011
Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

For questions about the award, please contact the Chair of the Freeman Travel Grant
Committee at the above email address.

*Room rates are estimated to be $179 for double occupancy, with state and local taxes at
15.2%

Carol June Bradley Award

2011 Call for Applications

The Carol June Bradley Award for Historical Research in Music Librarianship was established by the Music Library Association in coordination with Carol June Bradley, a library science educator recognized as the foremost historian of music librarianship.

The $1,000.00 award is given to support research about:

• the history of music libraries and collections, and music librarianship (including oral history projects)
• the lives of music librarians (including oral history projects)
• music special collections, especially those that hold rare materials and/or are not well known
• specific aspects of music librarianship
• music library patron activities
• music librarian education

The grant will be awarded to support costs associated with the research process. Examples of such costs include:

• travel
• lodging
• meals
• supplies
• digital, photocopy or microfilm reproduction of source material

There are no restrictions as to an applicant's age, nationality, profession, or institutional affiliation. All proposals will be reviewed entirely on the basis of merit. Any publication of the recipient's work must state that this award helped to support the research process.

Applicants should submit the following documents:

• summary of the project, including plans for disseminating the findings
• preliminary budget with justification for expenses
• current vita
• names of three references along with complete contact information for each

Applications may be submitted electronically or by mail. The deadline for receipt is July 15, 2010. Applications received after that date will be considered for funding in 2011. Recipients will be notified by October 15, 2010, and announced at the MLA annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA, which will be held from February 9–12, 2011. Please direct all inquiries and application materials to:

David Hursh
Music Library
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27858
(252) 328-1239
hurshd@ecu.edu 

• FAQ
• Slides of the PowerPoint Introduction (Ruthann McTyre and Judy Tsou).
• Notes on the Open Discussion (John Shepard and Liza Vick).

What do you think? Please email the heads of both organizations with your comments.

April 17, 2010

I just saw a listing in the program about an MLA/IAML-US affiliation (also in the IAML-US Annual Report). What’s up?

The Boards of MLA and IAML-US have begun discussing the relationship of the two organizations. Past discussions have happened primarily at the Board level, and both Boards agree that it is time to bring the discussion to the membership, starting with a Town Hall Meeting hosted by both presidents during the MLA Annual Meeting in San Diego which members of both organizations are welcome to attend.

Will both organizations remain separate?

One of the models under discussion is that used by CAML (Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres), where the US Branch and MLA will merge, and there will be one Board and one President. The MLA President or her/his designee would be an official representative to IAML. In this model, MLA would be affiliated with IAML. (This would not be MLA’s first affiliation: the association has a long history of affiliation with ALA, and has worked closely with other, related organizations as well.) If the two organizations had an affiliate relationship, channels for sharing information could be more easily established than currently exist.

Do I have to join MLA?

In this model, IAML-US members will have to join MLA if they are not already a member (currently, this would affect only a few IAML-US members). Membership and renewal forms would include an option to join MLA only, as well as an option to join both MLA and IAML.

Do I have to join IAML?

None of the models that have been discussed would require MLA members to join IAML.

How will MLA or IAML-US benefit by being merged, and having MLA as an affiliate of IAML?

Joining IAML-US and MLA and having MLA affiliating with IAML furthers the missions of the participating organizations. In addition, merger of MLA and IAML-US reinforces the strengths of both organizations and could help to mitigate any perceived weaknesses.

Mission Statements

• MLA’s mission statement reads, “The Music Library Association provides a professional forum for librarians, archivists, and others who support and preserve the world’s musical heritage”, and includes the following: “collaborate with other groups in the music and technology industries, government, and librarianship, to promote our mission and values.”
• IAML-US’s Articles of Incorporation, Article II “Purposes”, states, “…to accomplish at the national level such tasks as the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres, Inc. (IAML) undertakes internationally . . . as well as to serve national needs in areas that concern [IAML-US]; … to cooperate with other library and musical organizations; most particularly with the Music Library Association."
• IAML’s mission statement reads, “To encourage and promote the activities of music libraries, archives and documentation centres and to strengthen cooperation among institutions and individuals working in these fields,” and includes several statements about supporting the work of music librarians and librarianship at national levels.

Additional benefits

• MLA, a large, active, and financially solid organization with many endowments, represents the music library community in the US, whereas IAML-US can represent only a fraction of the music librarians in our country. Therefore, cutting edge projects or new policies in the US cannot be put forth as IAML-US’s accomplishments. Thus, reports from the US Branch present an incomplete picture of the activities in this country, whereas other national branches truly represent their music library community’s work. For US music librarians, affiliation with IAML could provide a broader perspective and close ties to the library community worldwide.

What’s IAML all about anyway?

“IAML, the International Association of Music Libraries, encourages and promotes the activities of music libraries, archives and documentation centers in supporting and facilitating the realization of projects in music bibliography, music documentation and music library and information science at national and international levels. Official languages for communications are English, French, and German.”

For more information, visit the IAML web site.

How will this change MLA? I like it the way it is.

In many ways, there likely will be few changes for MLA members. However, being active in IAML enables US music librarians to establish personal ties with music librarians worldwide. Such personal ties will benefit librarians and patrons seeking to gain access to or do research in major European libraries (where many primary sources are located). In addition, the affiliation will allow for a greater US voice at IAML meetings: the MLA President or her/his designee would be an official representative to IAML. If the two organizations had an affiliate relationship, channels for sharing information could be more easily established than currently exist.

How much will this cost?

Merging IAML-US with MLA will provide increased opportunities for members with little (if any) negative impact on either bodies’ organizational and financial situation.

• MLA and IAML-US both engage A-R Editions as their business office; combining them could achieve economies of operation.
• The major costs are likely to be legal fees involved in renegotiating a contract with A-R Editions, the work necessary to revise MLA’s Constitution, and the legal filings. Neither Board wishes to incur significant expense for either organization.

What will happen after the town hall meeting?

If membership response is positive, both Boards will continue discussion. Several possible models may be developed for membership consideration. And any change will require a vote by the members of both organizations.

According to MLA’s Constitution and Bylaws, MLA members will be required to vote in person at the 2011 annual meeting in Philadelphia:

[MLA]
Article IX. B. Formal Affiliation. The Board shall submit terms of affiliation with another organization to the membership at any Regular meeting. Approval shall be by a majority of the ballots cast on the proposal at the meeting.

MLA members will vote first and then, providing the initiative passes, IAML-US will hold its vote by mail ballot, according to its bylaws:

[IAML-US]

Section 3.02 Voting: Each member shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the members. All votes shall be done by ballot, mailed to the members.